It's hard to convince anyone that there were only 8,234 souls on hand for the home opener 40 years ago, and that Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey was exploring ways to tear down Fenway and build a new ballpark in Boston.

Here's another difference between then and now: Today Manny Ramírez makes $20 million per year to patrol left field in Fenway; in '67, Yaz was paid $50,000 to hit .326 with 44 homers and 126 RBIs.

As much as I hate the Red Sox, that is still hard for me to comprehend, since I wasn't around then (21 years before I was born). Just 8,234 people at the home opener in '67? Geez!:o:

I highly doubt that anybody who DID NOT grow up in Boston during that time will be able to comprehend such a thing. That's just one of those things you have to live through.

PeteWard

04-10-2007, 09:47 PM

Who cares?

PKalltheway

04-10-2007, 09:49 PM

Who cares?
:rolling: The mood of this thread has changed quickly!

PeteWard

04-10-2007, 09:57 PM

I am just so sick of this team and many (not all) of their fans.

Fenway

04-10-2007, 10:05 PM

As much as I hate the Red Sox, that is still hard for me to comprehend, since I wasn't around then (21 years before I was born). Just 8,234 people at the home opener in '67? Geez!:o:

I highly doubt that anybody who DID NOT grow up in Boston during that time will be able to comprehend such a thing. That's just one of those things you have to live through.

In 1964 or so my Mom had a part time job calling people about what they were watching on TV. One Saturday she was dumbfounded that everybody was watching wrestling and not the Red Sox and she fudged her report. My Dad loved baseball and the 46-9 Red Sox broke his heart. But they were so bad in the early to mid 60's that even he didn't care anymore.

Then came 1967...........

whitesoxwilkes

04-10-2007, 10:07 PM

Who cares?

You don't care, don't post in the ****ing thread.

This is the talking baseball forum.

DumpJerry

04-11-2007, 12:28 AM

Reading about the OD turnout in '67 reminds me it was not too long ago that another aging ballpark used to see the upper deck closed because of low turnouts. *cough* Wrigley *cough*

TommyJohn

04-11-2007, 08:47 AM

As my friend Glenn pointed out to me ( defense mechanism) it was only 40 years ago.

The 1967 Red Sox recharged New England and baseball has been king here ever since ( with the exception of the Bobby Orr Bruins )

You know, it is hard to argue with that contention. However, I did once gag
when I saw a book called "The Team That Saved Baseball" about the 1975
Red Sox. They saved baseball. Not baseball in Boston, but baseball
everywhere, for all time. I wanted to barf. What kind of self-centered
nonsense...?

And I was so happy that the title gave props to the 1975 Cincinnati Reds.
You know, the team that played Boston in the World Series and actually
won it.

gobears1987

04-11-2007, 11:33 AM

Are there any pics of Hawk at reunion?

Fenway

04-11-2007, 11:53 AM

Are there any pics of Hawk at reunion?

Hawk was the only one who didn't wear a hat

Tony C was represented by his brother who also played for the Red Sox
http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/sp/getty/fe/fullj.getty-73394701jm021_seattle_marin_6_05_01_pm.jpg

Fenway

04-11-2007, 11:56 AM

As much as I hate the Red Sox, that is still hard for me to comprehend, since I wasn't around then (21 years before I was born). Just 8,234 people at the home opener in '67? Geez!:o:

I highly doubt that anybody who DID NOT grow up in Boston during that time will be able to comprehend such a thing. That's just one of those things you have to live through.

Tom Yawkey told Will McDonough in June of 1967 "build me a stadium or else" and he hinted that he might sell the team to Milwaukee which had just lost the Braves.

Yawkey claimed there was no way to make money at Fenway Park and it was time to tear it down...:tongue:

PKalltheway

04-11-2007, 11:58 AM

Tom Yawkey told Will McDonough in June of 1967 "build me a stadium or else" and he hinted that he might sell the team to Milwaukee which had just lost the Braves.

Yawkey claimed there was no way to make money at Fenway Park and it was time to tear it down...:tongue:
Geez, what a difference a winning ballclub can make...

Fenway

04-11-2007, 12:02 PM

Geez, what a difference a winning ballclub can make...

since 1967 Boston has had the second best record of any MLB team and they have had only 6 under .500 seasons since.

A year earlier ( 1966 ) Fenway was usually empty for most games. The gamblers would sit in RF betting on anything, a bunch a kids and retired folks.

Seeing the team was great but I didn't need to see Robert Goulet singing "The Impossible Dream"

I do think the 75 World Series helped saved baseball......

johnr1note

04-11-2007, 02:21 PM

As much as I hate the Red Sox, that is still hard for me to comprehend, since I wasn't around then (21 years before I was born). Just 8,234 people at the home opener in '67? Geez!:o:

I highly doubt that anybody who DID NOT grow up in Boston during that time will be able to comprehend such a thing. That's just one of those things you have to live through.

And the White Sox drew a whopping 7,756 on opening day, 1968. The year after we just missed winning the pennant to the Red Sox. At least in `67, the Red Sox were still percieved to "suck,"

tony1972

04-12-2007, 06:55 PM

This is interesting as we may be telling Sox fans in 2027 about how only 12,000 people used to show up at the Cell. "what..the Cell always sells out..are you crazy?"..

I definitely think there are seasons that are tipping points in every franchise (particularly baseball) that cement an entire generation of fans and completely turn around a francise for years to come....

In all these cases..if you look at attendance, ratings, etc..there was a huge increase after those seasons..the seasons where the teams were not so good..generallly still topped out the great seasons before the turning point season.

An example would be the 2005 White Sox..think back to 2000 when we had a huge division lead..were headed to the playoffs and only drew 1.9 million fans...

The same happened after the 1984 Cubs..the Cubs had never drawn 2 million fans before 84 (even in good years like 1969 and 1977)..since 1984 the team has outdrawn every pre 84 season even with bad teams.

A certain team..and a certain year does something that just creates a huge number of new fans and cements in the hearts the franchise in the current fans.

Our children and grandchildren will laugh when we talk about the days of the empty seats at the Cell...

That's why this is a great article and is of interest....

WhiteSox5187

04-12-2007, 07:38 PM

And the White Sox drew a whopping 7,756 on opening day, 1968. The year after we just missed winning the pennant to the Red Sox. At least in `67, the Red Sox were still percieved to "suck,"
Yea but while the Sox were opening up at home that year, the entire West Side of Chicago was in flames. I'm willing to be a lot of people were thinking it wasn't very safe to be going to a game on the southside back then.

Fenway

04-12-2007, 07:41 PM

NESN is showing a recap of 1967 right now...just a kick seeing all the old ballparks that are gone

Boston was a dying city in the 50's and early 60's. The city had lost the Braves but the Red Sox didn't pick up their fans

Some think Boston fans didn't respond well to intergration,it certainly hurt the Braves and Yawkey was scared to hire black players.

It was a very different time

The just showed Ken Berry being throw out at the plate.....Elston Howard made an unreal play ( haven't seen that in decades )

and he was out

Fenway

04-12-2007, 08:02 PM

something I just noticed that will make you all smile

When Boston beat the Twins in the final game the first Boston player to make it to Lonborg was #40:smile: ( who had been benched for a pinch runner )

http://services.bostonglobe.com/mas_assets/full/1541641.jpg

Seems hard to believe but Boston had to listen to Detroit's last game on the radio and there was dead silence until you hear Ernie Harwell yell "In Time" and they go nuts

They will always be my boys of summer

MISoxfan

04-12-2007, 08:16 PM

This is interesting as we may be telling Sox fans in 2027 about how only 12,000 people used to show up at the Cell. "what..the Cell always sells out..are you crazy?"..

I definitely think there are seasons that are tipping points in every franchise (particularly baseball) that cement an entire generation of fans and completely turn around a francise for years to come....

In all these cases..if you look at attendance, ratings, etc..there was a huge increase after those seasons..the seasons where the teams were not so good..generallly still topped out the great seasons before the turning point season.

An example would be the 2005 White Sox..think back to 2000 when we had a huge division lead..were headed to the playoffs and only drew 1.9 million fans...

The same happened after the 1984 Cubs..the Cubs had never drawn 2 million fans before 84 (even in good years like 1969 and 1977)..since 1984 the team has outdrawn every pre 84 season even with bad teams.

A certain team..and a certain year does something that just creates a huge number of new fans and cements in the hearts the franchise in the current fans.

Our children and grandchildren will laugh when we talk about the days of the empty seats at the Cell...

That's why this is a great article and is of interest....

Wasn't 1993 the most attendance we've ever had in a season?

tony1972

04-12-2007, 08:45 PM

No 2006..then 1991 (the first year of New Comskey and the park had 6,000 more seats back then)...

PaulDrake

04-12-2007, 08:53 PM

And the White Sox drew a whopping 7,756 on opening day, 1968. The year after we just missed winning the pennant to the Red Sox. At least in `67, the Red Sox were still percieved to "suck," Those are low figures, but remember back then anything over a milliion in attendance for the year was considered good. If you think the neighborhood around the Cell has a bad reputation now, well it was much worse in 1968. The area was densely populated, crime ridden, and huge chunks of the city had urban riots in 1965, 1966 (twice) and in 1968 after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. It was the era of the "long hot summers", and nerves were understandably frayed.